 Diver Matthew Mitcham has won gold in Beijing.
Mitcham is the first openly gay Australian to compete in the Olympic Games.
Last night Mitcham performed a stunning fightback in the 10m platform to win the gold medal in an incredible upset that prevented a Chinese clean sweep of the Olympic diving events.
The 20-year-old Queenslander scored a perfect 10 in his second and an amazing 10-point final dive to steal victory from China's Zhou Luxin.
Mitcham thanked his partner and his mum for their part in his victory.
"I’d like to say thank you to absolutely everyone who helped. My partner, Lachlan, and my mum.
"I was crying thinking I had silver and to get gold, I was a blubbering mess."
Mitcham overcame a 32.50 point deficit on his final dive to win with 537.95 points from Zhou 533.15 and Russian 2007 world champion Gleb Galperin (525.8).
Mitcham produced the highest scoring dive in the history of the Olympics with his sixth and final effort to become Australia's first male Olympic gold medallist in diving since Dick Eve in 1924.
Fellow Australian Mathew Helm finished sixth with a score of 467.70.
Earlier this year a casual remark about his partner during an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald led to a flurry of international publicity.
“It’s not really a big deal,” he told Queensland Pride at the time. “It’s not like I’m a different person. It’s not like I was straight before.”
He said he would be happy if young gay men looked to him as a role model.
“There’s not really much choice. If someone looks up to you, then you’re a role model. And I’m happy with that. I just hope I do a good job – I’m not perfect!”
After taking a break from training in 2006, Mitcham stunned the world by taking first place in the 10m platform FINA Diving Grand Prix in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in May this year.
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